tataÅ› ca labdha-saá¹skÄrau
dvijatvaá¹ prÄpya su-vratau
gargÄd yadu-kulÄcÄryÄd
gÄyatraá¹ vratam Ästhitau
tataḥ - then; ca - and; labdha - having received; saá¹skÄrau - initiation (Kṛṣṇa and BalarÄma); dvijatvam - twice-born status; prÄpya - attaining; su-vratau - sincere in Their vows; gargÄt - from Garga Muni; yadu-kula - of the Yadu dynasty; ÄcÄryÄt - from the spiritual master; gÄyatram - of celibacy; vratam - the vow; Ästhitau - assumed.
After attaining twice-born status through initiation, the Lords, sincere in Their vows, took the further vow of celibacy from Garga Muni, the spiritual master of the Yadus.
Both ÅšrÄ«dhara SvÄmÄ« and ViÅ›vanÄtha CakravartÄ« ṬhÄkura explain the term gÄyatraá¹ vratam as the vow of brahmacarya, or celibacy in student life. Kṛṣṇa and BalarÄma were playing the part of perfect students on the path of self-realization. Of course, in the modern, degraded age, student life has become a wild, animalistic affair filled with illicit sex and drugs.
